While Allenby was talking, Trudy pulled her omnicomm out of her pocket and began scrolling through the messages, looking for Allenby's original broadcast on the network. Trudy had to uncomfortably admit that Allenby had a point, but...
"And I quote, 'Screw the Galileeans, I'm going down there.' Then when I ordered you to stop, and I quote, 'Shut up.' And when the captain ordered you to stop, still quoting, 'Forget it.'" She looked down at the pilot with a wry expression. "It's such a mystery why we didn't stop to explain ourselves, given how receptive you were to listening at all. Even to the people who tried to knock some sense into your head about facing planetary defense systems on your own, you were pretty abrupt."
Still, she didn't want to put Allenby right back on the defensive, so she explained a little. "When a superior officer gives you a direct order they expect it to be obeyed - immediately and without question. The rest of my soldiers don't have a problem with that concept, probably because the officers they're used to following make sense and give good orders. Now, it's not really our fault that the government of your country decided to take a child who should have been learning how to play soccer or something and stick her in a Gundam, then treat her like less than a person-" she's hearing you Allenby, honest - "so you can't really expect us to respond in any way other than the way we are used to operating. I gave my soldier an order, she disobeyed the order, she was placed in the brig. It's simple."
Trudy put the omnicomm back in her pocket. "Maybe you're right, and need-to-know is a moot point on this ship. It's six one, half a dozen the other out here. Either we tell people we're having a problem and have them clamoring at us to charge in guns blazing, or we keep quiet about the problem and get worried people trying to charge in guns blazing. I'll have a chat with the Captain about transparency, but we were trying to avoid an issue. And as I've just explained, neither of us are in the habit of explaining our orders."
no subject
"And I quote, 'Screw the Galileeans, I'm going down there.' Then when I ordered you to stop, and I quote, 'Shut up.' And when the captain ordered you to stop, still quoting, 'Forget it.'" She looked down at the pilot with a wry expression. "It's such a mystery why we didn't stop to explain ourselves, given how receptive you were to listening at all. Even to the people who tried to knock some sense into your head about facing planetary defense systems on your own, you were pretty abrupt."
Still, she didn't want to put Allenby right back on the defensive, so she explained a little. "When a superior officer gives you a direct order they expect it to be obeyed - immediately and without question. The rest of my soldiers don't have a problem with that concept, probably because the officers they're used to following make sense and give good orders. Now, it's not really our fault that the government of your country decided to take a child who should have been learning how to play soccer or something and stick her in a Gundam, then treat her like less than a person-" she's hearing you Allenby, honest - "so you can't really expect us to respond in any way other than the way we are used to operating. I gave my soldier an order, she disobeyed the order, she was placed in the brig. It's simple."
Trudy put the omnicomm back in her pocket. "Maybe you're right, and need-to-know is a moot point on this ship. It's six one, half a dozen the other out here. Either we tell people we're having a problem and have them clamoring at us to charge in guns blazing, or we keep quiet about the problem and get worried people trying to charge in guns blazing. I'll have a chat with the Captain about transparency, but we were trying to avoid an issue. And as I've just explained, neither of us are in the habit of explaining our orders."